Condiment Set: Spoon c. 1927

Editor: We’re looking at a condiment spoon by Georg Jensen. The handle is silver, the spoon itself is horn. It's quite small. How do you interpret this piece through the lens of its materials? Curator: This spoon prompts us to consider the value we assign to materials. Jensen’s choice to pair silver, a traditionally precious metal, with horn, an animal byproduct, challenges conventional hierarchies. How does the spoon's function as a tool for consumption relate to the consumption of resources in its making? Editor: So, the materials themselves are making a statement about value and production? Curator: Precisely. And consider the labor involved in both the silversmithing and the shaping of the horn. Who did this labor, and under what conditions? The spoon becomes a small, potent vessel for understanding larger systems of production and consumption. Editor: That's a fascinating perspective. I never thought about a spoon in such a complex way.